The Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr Eric Opoku, yesterday presented 900 water pump machines seized from galamsey sites to nine regions across the country.
The beneficiary regions are Upper East, Upper West, Savannah, Northern, North East, Oti, Greater Accra, Volta and Bono East Regions.
The donation, which forms part of the Feed Ghana programme, is expected to boost irrigation farming, particularly during the dry season, and enhance food production nationwide.
Presenting the machines at the Agricultural Engineering Service Directorate Office at Amrahia in Accra, Mr Opoku said the equipment were confiscated by a task force during operations against illegal mining following a court ruling, the machines were handed over to the Ministry for agricultural purposes.
According to the Minister, the regions benefiting from the distribution were carefully selected to ensure that the machines
not diverted back into illegal mining activities.
“We wanted to avoid a situation where these machines, after being distributed, end up at galamsey sites again. That is why we deliberately chose regions without active illegal mining operations,” Mr Opoku explained.
He added that each region was receiving 100 machines, bringing the total to 900.
Furthermore, he underlined that the machines would be channelled to farmer cooperatives through the Regional Ministers and directors of agriculture, who would supervise the allocation to ensure transparency and accountability.
“Technical experts from the Ministry had inspected the equipment and confirmed that they were safe for use on farms,” Mr Opoku assured.
The Minister again noted that the government’s broader agenda was to build resilient food systems, reduce post-harvest losses, and ensure that “every Ghanaian is fed.”
He mentioned that the provision of irrigation facilities, particularly in the dry season, was critical to achieving food security.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiary regions, the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Ali Adolf John, expressed gratitude to the President and the Ministry for the intervention, assuring the public that the equipment would be used strictly for agricultural purposes.
“As regional ministers, we will work closely with our regional and district directors of agriculture to monitor the use of these machines.”
“They will be made available to cooperatives and farmers, particularly those farming along riverbanks, so that irrigation can continue even in the dry season,” he elaborated.
Moreover, Mr John emphasised that the government remained resolute in its fight against illegal mining and would not allow the equipment to find its way back to galamsey operations.
“The distribution of the confiscated machines marks a significant step in turning the fight against illegal mining into an opportunity to support national food production, ensuring that resources once used to degrade the environment now serve to feed the nation,” he underscored.
BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA
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